Great Expectations
by Xyliette
Summary: One shot. The significance of Chinese food on Thanksgiving. Mostly Addison centric.


A/N: This is the by-product of being stuck as a passenger while driving in the snow which makes me nervous as hell and I can't watch. I hate holidays but I was bored. Enjoy!

**_-----_**  
I've got great expectations  
I've got family and friends  
I've got satisfying work  
I've got a back that bends  
For every breath, for every day of living  
This is my Thanksgiving  
- Don Henley, "My Thanksgiving"  
**_-----_**

It's a meticulous planning of the next days events. Proper place settings, the right amount of food allotted according to the number of people present, tripping over oneself to produce desirable dishes and an inviting home. Searching for great and manageable recipes so as to not allow her dismal cooking skills set the house on fire, she leafs through the book in front of her and mindlessly swirls the wine in the glass next to it. It was a big decision, a substantial step to allow her co-workers into a setting where she is forced to play hostess. She toyed with the idea of going out to eat, or staying in by herself but quickly ditched that thought in favor of inviting all the lonely miserable people of her workplace over. She is determined for once in her life to put on the perfect Thanksgiving.

**_-----_**

At age seven she doesn't understand why in the world everyone else has the day off to celebrate with their families and yet her father is at the office, as usual, and her mother is busy drinking liking a fish at the local country club. Thanksgiving, as far as she has learned, is supposed to be about family togetherness but most often she ends up alone with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich making a blanket fort in her room because her nannies went home to their own children.

At age eleven she has come to the realization that Thanksgiving is not Christmas. Christmas she loves. The white fresh snow, the icicles dangling from the roof, the kids in the street, and hot chocolate by the fireplace with a good book. Thanksgiving, however, is merely a nonsensical holiday in the eyes of her father. He believes, "That it is just an excuse for my lazy workers to request time off." He would gripe and complain in the early morning hours (while her mother slept off the alcohol induced coma) about wishbones caught in throats, knife cuts needing suturing, and in general the stupidity that is the human race.

Christmas, on the other hand, while lending itself to a wide array of equally moronic adventures, could be classified as a holiday because it could be useful to the politics of the hospital. Parties could be thrown on a hospital budget and her father was revered as a good hearted man by his employees. He could put on a smiling face and place great gifts under the tree because he worked all year long to celebrate it on one day. He allowed himself one day of family union because it was commonly accepted around the world. You can't do that with Thanksgiving, it's not Christmas.

She often contemplated why he enjoyed saving other people's families in the walls of the OR as opposed to coming home to his own but hastily came to the conclusion that she would never comprehend it and in that same instant decided that she would never become that person. At age 13 she gave up the idea that they would ever have a traditional Thanksgiving and resigned herself to thinking that it was just another day to study so that she could get out of the hell dimension that was supposed to be a home.

**_-----_**

"Addison, why are we doing this again?" Naomi asks crinkling her nose at the scent that emits from the oven upon opening the door.

"Because it's Thanksgiving Nae." She doesn't expect her friend to understand that fact that she isn't happy for the break away from her family and for the chance to breathe on a holiday.

"That is the worst reason ever. We should be partying, not attempting a formal dinner for two."

"Well, make more friends then." Addison retorts trying to figure out how mashed potatoes get to be mashed from their whole form.

Three hours later and two more fights about cooking they sit down to a feast to chunky mashed potatoes, chewy canned corn, and an unrecognizable casserole courtesy of Addison and one burnt small turkey, blackened dinner rolls and a store bought pumpkin pie via Naomi. They chew in silence after stating what they are thankful for. Addison finds the tradition of saying what you are blessed with cute and adds it to her list of things to do when she finally has a family of her own.

"Addie, this tastes like shit. I can't eat anymore." Naomi states throwing her fork on the mismatching plate and sighing.

"It is bad." She remarks setting her silverware down next to her plate and pulling the cloth napkin from her lap.

"Chinese?" Naomi asks with her eyes glittering and begging.  
**_  
_**

**_-----_**

"So last year we get to have Chinese in our pajamas and now we have to go back to that nonsense of attempting traditions?" Naomi asks placing the cheap bottle of wine down on the counter as Addison drops a blue oven mitt to the floor.

"We have people now Nae. Well you have a person, I have a study partner. You are supposed to cook on Thanksgiving."

"What exactly are you doing with said study partner because he is cute Addie." She grabs the mitt off the floor and smirks when she sees Addison try and tie on an apron before pulling her hair back into a ponytail and putting on, what Naomi has come to recognize, as the serious cooking face.

"Nothing. Nae, don't be ridiculous. It's just Derek."

"He has good hair and amazing eyes and when he is around you turn into the biggest klutz I have ever seen. Want to try and tell me again that it is _just _Derek?"

"Fine, maybe I am a little interested."

"That's my girl. Now admit that we are doing this to try and impress him."

"I am not! I am just trying to have a nice Thanksgiving for once." Maybe it is a little of both but no one seems to understand her thing about Thanksgiving.

"Uh-huh. Someone has a crush. Addie you are growing up!"

"Shut up. They are going to be here so will you please stop teasing me and help me get this underway?" She pleads.

Four hours later and a meal closely resembling their first one Addison grimaces as Derek pretends to enjoy the dried out turkey. The rolls turn out to be the only salvageable thing and Sam is the first person to point out how bad the whole production is.

"Ladies, lest I suggest that I hope your doctoral skills are better than those of your cooking abilities because this…this is horrible."

Derek gulps down the rest of his wine trying to wash away the taste of burnt before suggesting, "So maybe we could order Chinese?"

"Least he understands what I am saying." Naomi adds nudging Addison in the side.

"I tried." She whispers to her lap.

"It's not that bad, I like that you tried for us. It was sweet even if it didn't turn out right. It's the thought and intention behind the whole thing that makes this the best Thanksgiving I have ever had." Derek ends his little speech by finishing off his plate to aide in her self-esteem.

Later after Naomi is locked in her room making out with a very tipsy Sam, Addison escorts Derek to the door.

"You really meant that?" She asks growing flushed.

"Yeah, well normally I have to go home to my four sisters and crazy mom but this was nice." He hooks his pointer finger under her chin and lifts as he places a quick peck on her lips. He has been interested since day one and being her study buddy was the only way she would agree to see him. As he pulls his warm lips back she decides that she is officially a fan of Thanksgiving even if it does have to include lukewarm Chinese food.  
**_  
_**

**_-----_**

"I can't believe you spent hours and this is how the whole thing turned out." Mark growls trying to use more liquor to cure the hunger.

"Mark, I invited you because God knows you have nowhere else to go…so could you just shut up and enjoy the meal that they prepared for us?" Derek counters growing irritated by his roommates nonstop complaining.

"Yeah what he said." Naomi rebuts looking to Sam for help but gets none.

"You know, if y'all would have called I could have come help. Mama and Daddy used to cook all the time and I sure do know how to make one mean pie." Mark's date pipes up. Her southern drawl making it remarkably hard for Addison to understand anything so she just stays quiet.

"Kelly, you shouldn't have to help out these two buffoons just because they said they could cook and they obviously can not." Mark begins as his date stands up and marches out the door without another word. "Honey! Where are you going? Kelly!" He gives up and takes a seat as the whole table begins laughing at him, "What?"

"Her name was Rachel man, nice going." Sam snickers.

"I give up on this!" Naomi shouts and sends a spoonful of chunky mashed potatoes in Addison's general direction.

"Nae, I worked really hard on those!" Derek helps her pick the lumps from her hair as the mischievous grin paves its way across her face.

"Yeah for the last three years and you still don't get it. Time to throw in the towel."

Addison tosses a roll before her manners set in and three hours later after several showers they finally gather in the living room for a good round of _Trivial Pursuit_ with mandatory drinking rules for answering incorrectly. Addison and Derek finish a little less than tipsy laughing at Mark who is completely sloshed and hitting on Naomi when Sam passes out in the chair. "See Thanksgiving is fun here." Derek slurs out when Naomi smacks Mark across the face for touching her thigh.

**_-----_**

As the years progressed they quickly gave up on the idea of Thanksgiving and settled for Chinese in an on-call room and a conference call in between Derek's entire family and the trio for about five minutes. They have visited on the years that they could but the availability seems to be dissipating as their success grows. Every year out there seems to put her attempts to shame but she keeps on trying because it's now their season.

"Is he even coming? I mean what exactly are you cooking for?" Mark asks staggering into the kitchen sans a date for the holiday. He found that most girls liked to go home but, he and Addison share a kindred spirit of having nowhere to go, so she invites him over anyway to celebrate with his best friend.

"He said he would be here. I don't know. Call him." She pulls the turkey out and marvels at the golden brown skin before taking the temperature and finding it still frozen inside.

"You have gone and botched it again." He announces as they sit down to a nice candlelit dinner for three and only two bodies present.

"I know." Growing tired of waiting she blows out the candles and begins to scrape the untouched food into the trash knowing full well that he is busy and won't be home to eat the leftovers at any point that week.

"Chinese?" He grins reaching out to hug her before pulling the cell phone out of his pocket and dialing her favorite restaurant.  
**_  
_**

**_-----_**

Thanksgiving in Seattle is not the thing dreams are made of and rarely does she like to think of lugging around a picnic basket and calling her husband while he was off doing something else. She tried, again in vain, to uphold some sort of tradition with him but ditched it in favor of the Chinese food she found on some street downtown after stopping by the hospital.

Sitting in the rain she thinks that her father may have been on to something with the whole not celebrating holidays thing. They merely lead to disappointment and as the sun drops below the horizon she vows to never again celebrate this stupid holiday.

**_-----_**

So, one year later she has a blue apron strapped on over her pale green dress and begins to regret wearing high heels to cook in. She checks the bird one more time before resetting the timer and smiles to her herself when the corn doesn't burn to the bottom of the pot. Finely dicing the onion for the stuffing she thanks god for her surgical skills because she is currently running about a half hour behind. Deciding that she would butcher any sort of pastry or bakery related item she put Naomi in charge of dessert and is certain that she will be getting something store bought.

"You're early." She gasps pulling the handle back to reveal Naomi bearing a bag full of pie and Maya with her hair pulled back.

"Hi Aunt Addison!"

"Hey sweetie. Nae what are you doing here? I still have two hours."

"Well, it is you so I decided that you could probably use all the help you could get." She smirks and heads toward the kitchen. She sets up Maya with mashing the potatoes so they don't end up chunky and pulls the dinner rolls out of the bag. "This is my department." She nods toward the bread and fishes around until she comes up with a baking tray in the corner of a cupboard.

"I think I did it this time." She exhales tired and excited for the afternoon's meal. The table is completely set with a cream colored runner underneath the china and matching tapers in their silver holders. Pete, Violet, Cooper, Naomi, Maya and Addison stare in wonderment at the feast before Sam storms in late. Upon seeing the sprawl he almost feels bad for telling everyone that it was going to be awful for the better part of a week.

"Sorry, I brought back ups." He raises the bag full of what can only be Chinese and heads toward the kitchen. Returning he grabs a seat next to his daughter and smiles to the hostess on the end. "We may not need supplements this year Addison. I think you have done it…finally."

A wide smile catches her lips as she watches dishes be passed along the table in no order and people laughing as they enjoy the company of each other. Some forty or so years later she finally gets her Thanksgiving. She realizes it's an untraditional family when she calls for them to recite what they are grateful for and no one misses a beat in saying that they are glad to be there and in the company of the only family most of them know. The meal progresses and no one complains about the food in front of them for once. As she smoothes the napkin in her lap she thinks that this may be her biggest accomplishment thus far in California.

Family is whatever you want it to be; it is constantly evolving into another form but as she catches Naomi's eye she knows that this where she is meant to be. Celebrating a holiday she didn't even understand all those years ago with people she never knew she existed. This is Thanksgiving.  
**_-----_**

* * *


End file.
